Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I thank the Minister of State for taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

I very much welcome the specific reference within the budget around continued increased investment on the capital side within the fire services. In County Wexford, we have a new fire station in New Ross and there are extensive plans to develop the fire station at Gorey but my primary concern is obviously around those who will staff those fire stations, the importance of the retained fire service and the valuable work it does in all communities.

The Minister of State will be aware, after industrial action, that in August, following discussions at the Workplace Relations Commission, agreement was reached between SIPTU and those representing the retained firefighters and the Local Government Management Agency, LGMA, around a path forward. The concern has been, around some of the recommendations there, that we have not yet seen them implemented. What is key for the retained firefighters is to be able to give them a timeline for what was recommended there to be agreed.

For instance, there was agreement around an increase in the minimum wages to be paid to the retained firefighters - the base wage. Improvements were to be made to increments. There was to be the filling of promotional posts. There was to be more flexibility. What was key, because one of the big issues for retained firefighters is around retention and recruitment, was that there would be an additional 400 firefighters recruited, increasing the existing cohort from 2,000 to 2,400 and, following on from that, that retained firefighters would form part of the public sector pay talks. The latter is something I strongly support, and I know the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, also supports this. In addition, we were to see, as part of that recruitment, a minimum of 12 firefighters per station. This is for the safety of the firefighters to make sure that there is a basic service that will be provided.

All of these are welcome, and they were approved in a ballot by the retained firefighters in August. However, it is key that if we are to look at that strategy for retention and recruitment, we see a timeline in place for their implementation. I would certainly like to see guarantees. Before local authorities start on a big recruitment drive for those additional posts, there has to be a need. There has to be certainty for those who will pursue a career as a retained firefighter, which is a rewarding career but a difficult one. We need to see a timeline in place as to when those measures that were recommended would follow suit. The Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, has said that he is deeply committed to implementing what was said, but it will be difficult for local authorities if we do not have a clear timeline around the measures that were agreed being brought forward.

I would hope that the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, can provide us with an update on this today and stress the urgency back to the Department, for retention and recruitment, that we address these challenges.